From the outside, the European Union (EU) often gives the impression of being a messy political unit. Just think about the recent refugee crisis. Almost on a daily basis the public learned about new proposals to tackle the crisis from different politicians representing the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament. While the Commission proposed a strategy to resettle refugees to share the burden across member states, many members of the European Council and the European Parliament disapproved the proposal. In general, it seems that decision-making at the EU level suffers because too many actors and institutions are involved in the process. Yet, the EU is also regarded as a successful political project that not only secured peace between European nation states but also increased the wealth of their societies. These contrasting experiences raise a fundamental question. Why is the EU tremendously successful in some areas, while it completely fails in others?

To answer the question, we take a close look at the history, institutions, decision-making processes, and policy areas of the EU. Using a variety of teaching and learning activities such as impulse lectures, panel discussions, policy simulations and quizzes this course offers a research-based and also applied insight into how the EU works. By the end of the course, participants know about the nature and role of the EU, its policy-making processes, and central institutions. In sum, participants gather important knowledge about the EU that they can use in future jobs or as a foundation for further specialization in EU politics. Target audienceThe course is open to Bachelor students with little or no prior knowledge about the EU.

For
Further Information You can find more information on the programme here www.au.dk/summeruniversity
If you have any questions regarding the programme please write summeruniversity@au.dk

Aarhus BSS stands out in the recently published rankings of the world’s best universities and research fields. The school’s ‘Public administration’ research is listed as the sixth best in the world. In comparison, the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School rank no. 34 and 50 respectively.